The invention relates to lubricant circulation systems, including for internal combustion engines, and more particularly to purge systems, replenishment systems, and combinations thereof.
The invention arose during continuing development efforts relating to the subject matter of commonly owned copending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/013,531, filed Jan. 26, 1998, U.S. Ser. No. 08/819,296, filed Mar. 18, 1997, U.S. Ser. No. 08/755,479, filed Nov. 22, 1996, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,779,900, 5,749,339, 5,462,679, all incorporated herein by reference. The '339 patent provides extended service intervals by providing continuous oil replacement and disposal. Periodic filter replacement and disposal is also provided. The oil replacement system tracks the engine's duty cycle.
In lubrication systems having a circulation system circulating lubricant to a machine, such as an internal combustion engine, customers and users are demanding increased competitive advantages, including reduced life-cycle costs, extended service intervals, reduced down time, reduced cost of replacement parts, reduced disposal costs, quicker service and cleaner service. Prior systems addressing such needs provide advantages enabling self-cleaning full-flow, and infrequent service, e.g. 10,000 hours, but suffer disadvantages including high initial cost, a centrifuge that requires cleaning every 1,000 to 2,000 hours, large and heavy structural components, and no oil replenishment. Other systems offer advantages including a permanent filter with no replacement parts needed, retrofit to current engine full-flow heads, and reasonable initial cost, but suffer disadvantages including no reduction of the service interval requirement, i.e., the filter and the centrifuge need cleaning, low efficiency wire mesh full-flow, and no oil replenishment.
The present invention addresses and solves the above noted needs, without the noted disadvantages.